:
total population: 61.82 years
male: 56.57 years
female: 67.32 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.39 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian

Ethnic divisions: Caucasion (includes Portuguese, German, Italian,
Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed Caucasion and African 38%, African 6%,
other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%

Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991)
total population: 80%
male: 80%
female: 80%

Labor force: 57 million (1989 est.)
by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%

@Brazil:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil

Digraph: BR

Type: federal republic

Capital: Brasilia

Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1
federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas,
Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato
Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana,
Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do
Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins

Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Constitution: 5 October 1988

Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;
compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age

Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Fernando Henrique
CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995) election last held 3 October 1994; next
to be held October 1998); results - Fernando Henrique CARDOSO 53%,
Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%, Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, Orestes QUERCIA 4%,
Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao AMIN 3%; note - second free, direct
presidential election since 1960
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)
Federal Senate (Senado Federal): election last held 3 October 1994 for
two-thirds of Senate (next to be held October 1996 for one-third of
the Senate); results - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT